"And now here's another thing," the Ape went on, fitting a fresh nut into its cheek, "Ihear some of the horses are saying, Let's hurry up and get this job of carting timber overas quickly as we can, and then we'll be free again. Well, you can get that idea out of yourheads at once. And not only the Horses either. Everybody who can work is going to be made towork in future. Aslan has it all settled with the King of Calormen - The Tisroc, as our darkfaced friends the Calormenes call him. All you Horses and Bulls and Donkeys are to be sentdown into Calormen to work for your living - pulling and carrying the way horses and such-like do in other countries. And all you digging animals like Moles and Rabbits and Dwarfsare going down to work in The Tisroc's mines. And -"
"No, no, no," howled the Beasts. "It can't be true. Aslan would never sell us intoslavery to the King of Calormen."
"None of that! Hold your noise!" said the Ape with a snarl. "Who said anything aboutslavery? You won't be slaves. You'll be paid - very good wages too. That is to say, your paywill be paid into Aslan's treasury and he will use it all for everybody's good." Then heglanced, and almost winked, at the chief Calormene. The Calormene bowed and replied, in thepompous Calormene way:
"Most sapient Mouthpiece of Aslan, The Tisroc (may he-live-forever) is wholly of onemind with your lordship in this judicious plan."
"There! You see!" said the Ape. "It's all arranged. And all for your own good. We'll beable, with the money you earn, to make Narnia a country worth living in. There'll be orangesand bananas pouring in - and roads and big cities and schools and offices and whips andmuzzles and saddles and cages and kennels and prisons - Oh, everything."
"But we don't want all those things," said an old Bear. "We want to be free. And we wantto hear Aslan speak himself."
"Now don't you start arguing," said the Ape, "for it's a thing I won't stand. I'm a Man:you're only a fat, stupid old Bear. What do you know about freedom? You think freedom meansdoing what you like. Well, you're wrong. That isn't true freedom. True freedom means doingwhat I tell you."
"H-n-n-h," grunted the Bear and scratched its head; it found this sort of thing hard tounderstand.
"Please, please," said the high voice of a woolly lamb, who was so young that everyonewas surprised he dared to speak at all.
"What is it now?" said the Ape. "Be quick."
"Please," said the Lamb, "I can't understand. What have we to do with the Calormenes? Webelong to Aslan. They belong to Tash. They have a god called Tash. They say he has four armsand the head of a vulture. They kill Men on his altar. I don't believe there's any suchperson as Tash. But if there was, how could Aslan be friends with him?"
All the animals cocked their heads sideways and all their bright eyes flashed towardsthe Ape. They knew it was the best question anyone had asked yet.
The Ape jumped up and spat at the Lamb.